Attracting & Retaining Citizen Scientists Some conservation citizen science organizations run projects that can be quickly carried out by citizen scientists without supervision. And for those organizations, a common practice is to motivate people with a few good training events. Then, we encourage our citizen scientists to organize themselves and do the work individually or […]
Even Scientists Take Selfies with Wild Animals. Here’s Why They Shouldn’t. One of the great things about being a biologist is getting to work in the field and connect with wildlife. Through my career, I have enjoyed many unforgettable close encounters with various species, including turtles, birds, marine mammals, invertebrates and a lot of fish, […]
Why Men Trophy Hunt The killing of Cecil the lion (Panthera leo) ignited enduring and increasingly global discussion about trophy hunting [1]. Yet, policy debate about its benefits and costs (e.g. [2,3]) focuses only on the hunted species and biodiversity, not the unique behaviour of hunters. Some contemporary recreational hunters from the developed world behave […]
“The more you are willing to examine your own assumptions and beliefs—and holds the possibility that you may be wrong—the more you can truly understand” (from The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling) Being a naturalist basically means being on a quest for knowledge (and having fun while at it!). There is such wonder […]
A friend and I were chatting ‘over’ ethics recently. The context was our species’ fascination of a limitless growth model, showcased for instance in our expectations with respect to our human biology (e.g., our quest for biological immortality), as well as exhibited in our modern economies and business practices. I remarked about our difficulties at defining and applying ethics. […]
Our enthusiasm and indulgence for animal captivity is changing yet very slowly. But we can accelerate our pace, because it can only be a win-win for science, for the animals, and us as moral individuals… ‘Are zoo animals happy? There’s a simple empathy test we can apply‘ is a very good piece of journalism on a […]
Although today the American society seems deeply torn apart by cultural, geographic, racial and class differences, still there is more that unites us than divides us, and this includes few environmental views and concerns… An opinion piece. Today the U.S. government decided against the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.). It places at its head a man who is no less […]
I am so happy to have gained a better understanding of what it takes to be an ethical wildlife volunteer. This has been, and still is an ongoing journey into realizing that our actions are not always ethical –not because we don’t want to be but rather because we don’t know– and that organizations may not […]
The common public ‘rhetoric’ these days about zoos is: zoo changed and they are now good for both conservation and the collected/exhibited individuals. Well then good! But the topic is not an easy one, after all this is really about ethics and of course, as ethics goes it’s tedious and painful at times (remember the […]
Like many people, I have a mix of incredulity and incredible sadness for what happened few days ago at the Cincinnati zoo and which led to executing Harambe the gorilla after an unattended 4-years child fell in the gorilla enclosure. At the root of all that is our relationship with wildlife. And we have to […]
At EwA (Earthwise Aware) we are committed to protect Biodiversity and to lead people to join us in doing so, reconnecting us all to our ecological self. It’s a critical mission in the era of Biodiversity decline, and we can’t do it without you!
Since we started EwA, we’ve accomplished so much. By now, you know that we develop science-based ecology and wildlife guides and etiquettes, with companion Nature lessons accessible for all globally. Our Nature lessons are also the backbone of our experiential learning events in the region. The most important effort being our public participative science program (a.k.a. citizen science) that we run in the region. Our science program covers biodiversity occurrence recording, phenology, plant community assessment. These field study programs are a means to rekindle people to their ecological nature. They help science and their scientists directly. They give us critical keys to understand better and faster a world that is going through a rapid transformation (climate change, invasive species impact, and biodiversity shift and loss).
This past year, we started a citizen science program in the Fells, with the collaboration of the Friends of the Fells. This year, we’re expanding and adding a vernal pool monitoring program, and a plant visitor survey that we’ll also run at the Fresh Pond Reservoir in Cambridge (with the Cambridge Water Department), and at Mass Habitat in Belmont (with Mass Audubon Habitat).
We pair these field conservation programs with EwA guides and nature lessons accessible online so that these studies can be replicated anywhere. We’re excited about that because citizen science, as a means to connect and nature-coach people, has been part of what we do at EwA from the start. We have tremendous experience in that arena, we have fantastic scientists and expert collaborators, a team of genuine volunteers, and we have great partners.
Your gift, today, will directly impact our citizen science projects, allowing us to provide online and field training material, as well as run live events. This will help both to raise the profile of citizen science, and to create a community of naturalists and citizen scientists empowered by knowledge and the support of a growing community both at home and globally!
We invite you to give to EwA; we invite you to join our community. And if you’re in Massachusetts we invite you to come to any of our events! Please also share this page with your friends and family.
Thank you for your support!
— Claire O’Neill (Earthwise Aware Founder)
Earthwise Aware is a 501(c)(3), your donation is tax-deductible!
At EwA we respect your privacy and do not share information that you submitted to us.
Your donation will help us specifically with the following:
▹ Retain our 501c3 status! (without you we can’t keep this important status)
▹ Continue developing and promoting new guides & etiquettes in collaboration with experts
▹ Develop further our citizen science projects, nature connection & nature leadership programs
▹ Run more nature events in our local habitats for the benefit of the people and our local Nature
▹ Continue reaching out to local and global communities
▹ Recruit talented volunteers & interns
▹ Develop the fundraising & membership structures
Note that donations to Earthwise Aware are not used for any of the volunteer and citizen science trips of the EwA staff and board members.
Thanks for your support!
EwA is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law.
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